Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a wind driven turbine that is capable of generating electricity in a wide range of wind speeds and in any wind direction. The turbine employs vertical blades that rotate a vertical shaft which attaches on its lower end to a generator.
Description of the Related Art
Wind turbines currently employed in wind farms have huge blades that rotate in a plane that is perpendicular to the ground. Those blades are attached to a horizontal shaft that connects to a generator that is contained within in a housing located on top of a tall vertical support structure. The blades are oriented like the blades of a propeller of an airplane and the drive shaft can be pivoted so that the blades face into the wind to allow the wind turbine to operate with maximum efficiency.
One disadvantage with this arrangement is that the tower must be of considerable height to allow the blades to rotate without striking the ground. Another disadvantage with this arrangement is that the generator is located high in the air which makes installation and servicing of the equipment difficult and expensive. A further disadvantage with this arrangement is that the drive shaft must be pivoted to allow the blades to face in the direction of the wind for the turbine to function properly. Pivoting of the drive shaft also requires the generator to be pivoted in conjunction with the drive shaft. All of this pivoting movement causes accelerated wear which leads to increased maintenance of the equipment. A further disadvantage with this arrangement is that the units cannot be operated safely in high wind situations.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a wind turbine that can be constructed without the need for a tall support tower since the blades of the present invention are mounted vertically on the drive shaft.
As the blades of the present invention begin to rotate in the opposite direction from the wind direction, the wind exerts force on the blades causing them to move to their open position. The wind continues to exert force on the open blades as the blades rotate in the opposite direction from the wind direction. When the blades rotate so that they are moving in the same direction as the wind direction, the force of the wind causes the blades to pivot together to a closed position where the force of the wind on the leading edges of the blades is minimized. This ability of the sets of vertical blades to independently pivot between open and closed positions allows the present invention to operate properly and efficiently regardless of the wind direction.
Also, because the drive shaft is mounted vertically, this allows the generator to be located on the ground where it is much easier and less expensive to install and to service. The present invention can be safely operated in a wide range of wind speeds, from very low wind up to approximately 100 mile per hour winds.